Wire netting for airships



June 10, 1930. P. HELMA ET AL WIRE NETTING FOR AIRSHIPS .Filed March 7.1929 Patented June 10, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAUL HELMA ANDKURT BAUGH, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO GOODYEAR-ZEPPIE- LINCORPORATION, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE WIRE NETTINGApplication filed March 7,

This invention relates to Wire netting, and it has particular relationto wire netting adapted to support portions of the gas cells employed inrigi airships.

One object of the invention is to provide a netting which is soconstructed that the gas cells of an airship will not be injured byimpinging against them.-

Another object of the invention is to provide a wire netting, theseveral elements of which are connected together in such manner as toprevent crossing of the wires, as well as to avoid injury of gas cellswhich engage it.

Heretofore, wire nettings employed for supporting the gas cells ofairships have been composed of relatively stiff wires which wereinterwoven. In order to provide proper connection between the several 2interwoven wires, the intersecting portions thereof were bound withsuitable material and thereafter soldered. Such construction of nettingsrequired much labor and also extensive working space. By binding orsoldering the intersecting portions of the wires, uneven joints resultedwhich were likely to injure the fabric, and there was also danger of thefabric being caught and torn at the corners of the meshes of thenetting. These disadvantages are obviated by providing a construction inwhich the binding and the crossing of the wires is obviated.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may now be had tothe accompany drawings, forming a part of the specification, of which;

Figure 1 is an elevational View of a portion of a netting, the wires ofwhich are connected together according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line11-11 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an edge elevational view of another form of connection for awire netting;

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional View taken substantially along the lineIV-IV of Figure 3; and

FOR AIRSHIPS 1929. Serial No. 345,035.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevational View, on a smaller scale, of anetting installed in the hull of an airship.

In practicing the invention, a netting 10 constituting a bulkhead isprovided, which includes identical wires 11 and 12. In Figure 5 one ofthe wires 12 is shown separately for the purpose of illustrating themanner in which it is bent alternately in opposite directions in thesame plane to provide a zig-zag shape. This shape may be effected beforeor after the wires are assembled in net form. The central portion of thenetting is provided with a ring 13 for securing the inner ends of theWires 11 and 12, and the outer ends of the latter are connected by meansof bridles 14 to a main ring 15 of an airship hull 16.

Adjacent bent portions of the wires 11 and 12 are connected by means ofclamps 17 which firmly engage the wires and maintain their contiguousportions in a common plane. Each of the clamps 17 is composed of twosections 18 and 19, one of which is provided with a pair of curvedgrooves 20 and 22 for receiving the contiguous similarly curved portionsof the wires 11 and 12, respectively. Also, the section 18 is providedwith ribs 23 which fit within grooves 24 of greater depth than thethickness of the ribs, for the purpose of properly centering the twosections of the clamp in assembled relation. A securing bolt 25 having ahead 26 counter-sunk within a recess 27 of the section 19 isscrew-threaded into the section 18. A polygonal opening 28 is providedin the head 26 for the purpose of receiving a suitable tool that can beemployed to turn the bolt. It will be observed that the curved portionsof the grooves 20 and 22 receive corresponding curved portions of thewires 11 and 12 circumferentially about opposite sides of the bolt 25,thereby providing a connection which positively prevents sliding of thewires with 95 respect to each other and with respect to the clamp.

Another form of clamping device 30, shown by Figures 3 and 4:, comprisestwo sections 32 and 33 provided with grooves 100 34 that are curved asindicated at 35 for the purpose of receiving in the same plane curvedcontiguous portions 36 of the wires 11 and 12. The sections 32 and 33 ofthe clamp are secured rigidly together by means of a rivet 37.Interfitting complementary portions 40 and 41 maintain the sections 32and 33 in proper registering relation. The entire outer surfaces of bothof the clamps 17 and 30 are rounded in order to obviate sharp corners.Also, it will be observed that the clamps are sufficiently large tocover the corners of the meshes of the netting, thereby avoiding thepossibility of injury to. mate.- rial such as fabric which might becaught therein.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the inventionprovides a relatively smoothly jointed netting which requires arelatively small space for the as: sembling thereof, and which can beassembled without involving complicated operations at the place wherethe. netting is to be employed. I

Although we have illustrated only the pre ferred forms which theinventionv may assume and have described those forms in de tail, it willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not solimited, but that'various modifications may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit H of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

r What we claim is:

1. A bulkhead adapted to be installed in an airship main ring,comprising wires of zig-zag configuration connected to the main ring,adjacent zig-zag wire portions being connected together in uncrossedrelation to present a relatively smooth contact surface upon which gascells are adapted to bulge;

2. A bulkhead adapted to be installed in an airship main ring comprisingwires of zig-zag configuration connected to the main ring, clampsconnecting together contiguous zig-zag portions of the wires, saidclamps presenting a smooth and rounded configuration to prevent injuryto gas cells adapted to contact therewith. A I

3. A bulkhead adapted to be installed in an airship main ring comprisinga central connection, a plurality of wires radiating from the centralconnection, each wire being zig-zag in configuration, adjacent wiresbeing connected together at spaced intervals in uncrossed relation, andmeans for connecting the outer ends of the wires to the main ring.

4. A bulkhead adapted to be installed in an airship main ring,comprising a central connection, a pluralityof wires radiating from thecentral connection, each wire being zig-zag in configuration, clampsconnecting the wires in uncrossed relation at the bight portions ofzig-zag configurations, said signed our names.

PAUL HELMA. KURT BAUCH.

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